Power and the people - understanding political change and how it happens

As an academic and a political activist and parliamentary candidate, Faiza Shaheen is well placed to understand both the theory and practice of how change happens in society. In this Q&A with Mike Wilkerson, she discusses the realisations that spurred her to enter politics and why real change rarely starts from within the institutions of power

Schools as Antecedents of Teacher Burnout: A Case of Public Sector Schools in Lahore

The cascading causes and consequences of teacher burnout also put other elements of school effectiveness under question. To estimate the extent of teachers’ involvement and to optimize utilization of school facilities, this research study was undertaken. This study examined the degree of relationship among the aspects of burnout among school teachers and school factors. A representative sample of 424 school teachers (Male=178 and Females=246) was selected by convenient sampling technique. Maslach Burnout Inventory-ES (MBI) was administered to measure the emotional involvement of teachers whereas a self-developed tool assessing present school factors was used to estimate the relationship between emotional state of teachers and workplace facilities (school resources).Data were analyzed by using Mean, SD, and Pearson product moment (r). Results indicated that teachers’ internal involvement correspond to the availability of given school facilities. In addition to the knowledge about teachers’ involvement on job duties, it was recommended that the ultimate school performance can be improved while keeping the right extent of school facilities. Recommendations on coping strategies at personal level by teachers themselves as well as at school level by administrators were also provided

Kisspeptin and attributes of infertile males and females: A cross-sectional study in a subset of Pakistani population

Kisspeptin, a peptide hormone, plays a pivotal role in fertility and neuroendocrine regulation of hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Increased kisspeptin and reproductive hormones are responsible for fertility in male and females. This study aimed to explore the role of kisspeptin on hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis by comparing the levels of kisspeptin in fertile and infertile subjects and identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of KISS1 gene in exon 2 and exon 3 of infertile male and female cohorts. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 80 males (44 infertile and 36 fertile) and 88 females (44 in each group). Significantly high levels of kisspeptin (KP), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone and testosterone were observed in fertile male and female subjects except low FSH levels in comparison with infertile female subjects. One polymorphism in exon 2 (E1225K [G/A 3673]) and three in exon 3 (P1945A [C/G 5833]; Insertion of T at 6075; G2026G [C/G 6078]) in infertile group were detected, with low KP and hormonal levels. Male subjects had abnormal sperm parameters and unsuccessful attempt of intracytoplasmic sperm injection in females. Expression of SNP in exon 2 and exon 3 of KISS1 could be responsible for alteration in release of reproductive hormones and gonadal functions, hence causing infertility

Diners

[p.4] El decreixement: un repte per l'educació[p.10] Cada lloc de treball, un lloc verd[p.16] El nou rostre de les finances[p.20] Aprenentatge-servei[p.26] Destapem els ulls[p.32] Els diners regulen el món, qui regula els diners?[p.36] Els diners i l'infància[p.40] L'altra cara de la moneda[p.43] L'altra cara del "capitalisme casino"[p.30] Entrevista a Mohammed YunusPeer Reviewe

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Images of the ‘ivory tower’ do not portray the full story: it is more likely that UK universities generate billions of pounds in social value each year

New research shows that the broader public value of universities to society is too often neglected and universities must promote their wide range of community engagement projects if they are to defeat ongoing spending cuts, writes Faiza Shaheen of the New Economics Foundation

Identifying 'at-risk' neighbourhoods : Exploring the scope for an Index of Area Vulnerability

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Using “Pub Quiz” to promote participation and active learning in prospective teachers

It has become an established fact that wheneverr students and teachers are involved equally for learning purpose, the use of effective and innovative teaching strategies serve the purpose at its optimal level. Both active learning and classroom participation have been found influential by increasing classroom performance of the students. Having knowledge about the use of multiple teaching strategies and knowing ways to modify applicable strategies in attaining teaching objectives are sensitive, yet crucial to apply in classrooms especially when it is subjected to prospective teachers. The current study was aimed to explore the effect of pub quiz activities on active learning, classroom participation and academic performance of prospective teachers that emphasized the idea of integrating activities in teacher training programs. Sample of the study comprised 22 prospective teachers enrolled in Science course of one year degree program at a public teacher training institute. It was an experimental study that allowed integrating the use of multiple activities during eight weeks of running semester. A five point Likert type scale followed by an open ended questionnaire was used to measure the level of participation and active learning of prospective teachers; whereas their academic performance was measured through taking a test. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The results supported the assumption of the study that integration of planned and relevant activities into teaching are not only helpful in pursuit of positively affecting the active learning, classroom participation and academic performance of prospective teachers but also helpfull in breaking the monotony of conventional ways of teaching and learning. The study recommended that adopting flexible use of activities accelerates learning process by ensuring active participation and learning on the part of students

Relationship between Perceived Parenting Styles of Mothers and Emotional Intelligence Among Undergraduate Students

The objective of the study was to find out relationship between perceived parenting styles of mothers and emotional intelligence among undergraduate students. Correlational research was selected as research design. The population of the study was undergraduate students of education department of public and private universities of Lahore. The total population was 1760. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample. The strata were formed on the basis of nature of the university. The total number of students selected was 528. The instrument consisted of three parts; first part consisted of demographic information (gender, nature of institution, education of mother and working status of mother). The second part consisted of Parenting Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), designed by Buri (1991) which was used to measure parenting styles and the third part consisted of Emotional Intelligence questionnaire (EI) by Schutte (1998) which was used to measure emotional intelligence. Data was collected individually from participants through questionnaires by survey method. Both inferential and descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the data. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the variables and Independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference between the demographic variables